Saturday, Sep 04, 2010
Ten years on the council waiting list
Northern Echo: Couple on hunger strike to protest over lack of housing
A COUPLE are on hunger strike after being on a council house waiting list for a decade. Alan and Janine Bennett have been offered one home in ten years, which they say was unsuitable for them and their 21-month-old son, James. They have vowed not to eat, starting yesterday, until a doctor advises against their action, in protest to a lack of affordable social housing. Mr Bennett said: “James will be looked after properly, but we are on hunger strike because we are just sick of waiting. “We are desperate for a council house, but this is also about making the authorities take notice. There is a serious lack of social housing available and things have to change.” The couple first applied to the former Sedgefield Borough Council for a house about ten years ago.
15 Comments
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1. paul said...
Ummmm. I see they've been getting themselves ready for this 'slimming down' exercise ...
2. Crunchy said...
1. paul
Looks like the kid was trying to cover the evidence but dropped his dad's boxing glove.
However, ten years on a waiting list is unacceptable in a country that was made to be Little Britian.
3. mark said...
Too many burgers by the look of them
4. sibley's b'stard child said...
Hey presto, two more people off the waiting list. Evidently, it's not a shortage of social housing stock that's the problem...
5. alan_540 said...
So they've both got public sector jobs & the associated retirement benefits that go along with those jobs, why exactly are they in dire need of social housing - especially if they've been renting somewhere for the last ten years?
6. mark said...
alan_540
maybe they anticipate losing their public sector jobs soon?
7. drewster said...
By the looks of it, the house they are currently renting is an ex-council house. Newton Aycliffe is a new town; most of the housing stock was built by the council until they stopped in 1980 (source: Wikipedia). I can see they would feel aggrieved about that - their parents generation were given council houses but they can't get one.
For those of you wondering why they might want a council rented house rather than a private rented house, the simple answer is that council rents are much lower. Other benefits include security of tenure and potential future right to buy.
8. mark said...
what about all those poor single parents who are just 16 and wanting a house , how selfish of this couple
9. bystander said...
Wasn't Sedgefield Blair's former constituency? Perhaps he could put them up in one of his 9 properties. Labour party, representing the people - as long as those people have jobs in the city and BTL portfolios eh Tony?
10. gone-to-colombia said...
They have the whiff of the chip pan about them, I don´t think the hunger strike will last long.
11. tick tock said...
what a lot of pointless, nasty & unpleasant comments above. Its a shame whats become of some over the last few difficult years.
12. Maxdisillusioned said...
I agree with you tick tock, I'm not happy with the housing situation either, but why do people have to resort to the childish comments about their weight and the way they look? Stick to the economics and don't shout people down guys.
13. mark wadsworth said...
G-d bless them! Let's just get cracking with building another million or two council houses for everybody that wants them!
For sure, I will never qualify for a council house, but we can add rungs to the housing ladder at both ends - if they build more top end executive villas then we can all shuffle up a bit (freeing up stuff at the bottom end) or we can build more council housing (thus depressing rents and prices in the middle and hence ultimately at the top end, which is where I am).
It's like the Corn Laws all over again - we have to artificially restrict supply to keep the people starving so that landowners can become ever richer. The fact that I personally will always be able to afford bread or beer doesn't mean I wouldn't like bread or beer to become cheaper so that I have more to spend on other stuff.
14. Cool_hand said...
I've seen it all now, couple of jokers.
15. Crunchy said...
11. mark wadsworth said...we have to artificially restrict supply to keep the people starving so that landowners can become ever richer. The fact that I personally will always be able to afford bread or beer doesn't mean I wouldn't like bread or beer to become cheaper so that I have more to spend on other stuff.
Oh dear, would you like to read that again mark. Tut tut.